Tender Misdemeanors
by Alana Lorens
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Caryn Orlane has law enforcement in her blood; her father was a cop, and his father, too. She's a federal agent in northwest Montana, protecting the old forests and keeping the peace.
Levi Bradshaw also believes in protecting the forests, but has a very different MO. He's the leader of a group of eco-warriors, determined to save the trees of the Bitterroot by legal—and illegal—means.
When they meet in the woods at gunpoint, their encounter ignites a spark of interest, despite operating on opposite sides of the law. When their worlds turn on them, they only grow closer. If they don't work together, can either survive?
What in the hell was he going to do?
Before Levi could enter full-blown panic mode, his cell phone rang. He grabbed for it on the corner of the desk, praying it was Caryn and she needed something so he had a good excuse to run away from home.
It was his brother Zane. “What in blazes do you think you’re doing there, trying to get the house seized under RICO?”
The angry surprise onslaught stunned Levi, and he had to scramble to respond. “Who’s Rico? What are you talking about? Try, ‘Hi, Levi, what’s going on?’”
“I know what’s going on. I’ve had my eye on the news on that corner of Montana for a while now. Bombs, monkeywrenching, red flags from the Feds? Mom didn’t give you that house just so you can lose it in a forfeiture action…”
As his brother continued, Levi sucked back his ready retort, finally recognizing Zane in lawyer mode. He was a power litigator worthy of the usual comparison to a shark. Zane lashed out at his opponents like a desperate man clutching his way up a drowning friend’s body to get some air. No holds barred, ever. The only way to win was not to play.
He took a long, deep breath as Zane ranted on, accusations dropping like grenades. When Zane paused for effect, Levi said, “Are you finished yet?”
“Don’t you have something to say for yourself?”
“Sure. I’m feeling much better now that I’m home from the hospital. No permanent damage. Thank you for asking.”
A shocked silence. “Haven’t you heard a damned thing I’ve said?”
Irritation threatened to rattle Levi’s intended calm. He tried levity. “Some of it.”
“That spread, the lands, the forests, are worth a lot of money, and I’m not going to let you just throw them away!”
“I’m not ‘throwing them away’. I’m done with the militia. I’m taking care of myself.”
Levi could almost hear the gears in his older brother’s head ticking as he regrouped. “I’m coming back there. Someone’s got to—”
“Someone is. Everything’s under control. Just keep on with the benign neglect, huh? I don’t need your ‘protection’ anymore.”
“Damn it—”
Levi clicked his phone, hanging up.
Alana Lorens (aka Barbara Mountjoy) has been a published writer for over 35 years, including seven years as a reporter and editor at the South Dade News Leader in Homestead, Florida. Her list of publications includes the non-fiction book 101 Little Instructions for Surviving Your Divorce, published by Impact Publishers in 1999, stories in A Cup of Comfort for Divorced Women, in December 2008, and A Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Parents, in June 2009.
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